RESOURCES

Structured Literacy Checklist for Language Comprehension Instructional Tools

Explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic instruction are important features for an effective language comprehension instruction. Download this free checklist to review your current or proposed curriculum/intervention and see how it stacks up with the critical features of structured literacy.

August 9, 2025 – The Literacy View

Big Sky Day 4: Grand Finale—Comprehension, Literacy, and Language for All

Judy Boksner invites Dr Douglas Petersen and Dr. Trina Spencer on to the Literacy View podcast at the end of the 2025 Big Sky Literacy Summit to talk about the foundational skills of language comprehension. We know the WHAT. We are ready for the HOW!

June 28, 2025 – Human Chapters Podcast

Language is Literacy and Literacy is Language

In this episode, Dr. Douglas Petersen and Dr. Trina Spencer reflect on the moment their paths first crossed—and how their complementary skills grew into a lifelong collaboration. Together, they share their passion for oral language development, the creation of innovative assessment tools such as CUBED 3 and the DYMOND Diagnostic Assessment, and the design of interventions like Story Champs. Listeners will hear how their ongoing research continues to highlight the crucial role of oral language in literacy, and how stories have the power to connect us all.

June 15, 2025 – SLP Nerdcast

Differentiating Difference from Disability: The DYMOND

Kate Granbois and Amy Wonkka invite Dr. Douglas Petersen and Dr. Trina Spencer to talk DYMOND, the first ever norm-referenced dynamic assessment of language and decoding. They share the importance of dynamic assessment for DLD and dyslexia, how it improves clinical practice, how DYMOND reduces test bias related to external factors, and using DYMOND for screening as part of eligibility testing.

May 30, 2025 – The Literacy View Ep. 125

(Part 2) Reading Comprehension Loses Out In The Classroom!! Language Is The Real MVP–Backed by Evidence!

This episode revisits key ideas from Episode 122, where we tackled the false debate between strategy instruction and knowledge building. Listeners joined live to share their biggest takeaways—and then they turned it over to two literacy legends: Dr. Trina Spencer and Dr. Douglas Petersen. Together they dug into why BOTH strategy and knowledge matter, real classroom applications (beyond theory), the harm of sticking to one “camp”, and how oral language and writing fit into the big picture. With powerful soundbites and actionable ideas, this conversation highlights how both strategy and knowledge are essential for strong literacy instruction.

April 28, 2025 – The Literacy View Ep. 122

(Part 1) Reading Comprehension Loses Out In The Classroom!

Dr. Douglas Petersen and Dr. Trina Spencer—classroom teachers turned education scientists and founders of Language Dynamics Group—use those “proof points” as a launchpad to share why they walked away from one-size-fits-none interventions and built something better. In this evidence-grounded episode, hosts Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner  kick off with Jill Barshay’s March 2025 Hechinger Report deep-dive —“Proof Points: Reading Comprehension in the Classroom” — which shows teachers spend under 25 percent of their reading block on genuine comprehension work and almost zero time on text-based talk. If you’ve ever stared at comprehension questions and wondered why they flop—or if you’re craving talk strategies backed by hard evidence that actually fit into a busy teaching day—this episode is your MVP playbook. Tune in and let language—and real, research-driven evidence—lead the way!

April 27, 2025 – SLP Nerdcast

AAC Narrative Intervention

Kate Granbois and Amy Wonkka invite Dr. Trina Spencer to talk about the benefits of intervention for AAC users. She also shares the active ingredients of Story Champs that lead to generative repertoires.

August 29, 2024 – The Talking DLD Podcast

IDLDRC 2024 Check In with Professor Trina D. Spencer

Shaun Ziegenfusz invites Dr. Trina Spencer, keynote speaker for the International DLD Research Conference (IDLDRC), to discuss her upcoming presentation on the power of oral storytelling.

August 22, 2023 – The Talking DLD Podcast

Storytelling

In this episode of The Talking DLD Podcast, Shaun Ziegenfusz talks about the power of storytelling as a tool for language growth for children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) with Dr Trina Spencer and Dr Douglas Petersen, developers of Story Champs, CUBED Narrative Assessment, and the Predictive Early Assessment of Reading and Language (PEARL) screener.